


Dr Sleep

by LeftHeadphone



Category: Campaign (Podcast), Campaign: Skyjacks (Podcast)
Genre: Doctor's visit, Dref is the best doctor, Medical Examination, Sleep study, Smoking, Watching Someone Sleep, gable and nodoze are buddies, have I mentioned that dref is the best doctor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26150401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeftHeadphone/pseuds/LeftHeadphone
Summary: Everyone aboard the Uhuru gets a yearly checkup - it's one of the few things that Dref is insistent upon. Nodoze goes to his and awaits one particular question that is a favourite of the doctor's: “How have you been sleeping?”
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "Dr Sleep" is a working title

“Thank you, Minerva.” Dref holds the door open for the orphan to leave, sucking on a candy as she does. Once she’s gone, Dref turns his attention to Nodoze who is leaning up against a wall nearby.

“N-No-doze? Please. Come- come in.”

Nodoze gets to his feet and enters the doctor’s office, crossing the room to the examination table as Dref shuts the door behind him.

“How are you?” Dref asks, standing near his desk.

“Well.” Nodoze sits on the edge of the table and watches the doctor.

“That’s, well... um, that's good.” Dref glances towards a short stack of papers on his desk. “Is there… Is there a-anything that you want to-to talk about, before we, um, start?”

“No.” He says it without hesitancy, and watches Dref winkle their nose. The doctor taps a finger on his desk.

“O-ok.” He collects the paperwork from his desk and pulls over a chair to sit in front of Nodoze. He starts his yearly examination the same way every time, going over questions and tests from the previous year. Then he goes over their fille, asking about any injuries or previous tough illnesses. He is incredibly thorough, and Nodoze is thankful for it. But he is aware that Dref hasn’t asked him one question that is usually towards the front of the list.

Eventually, Dref puts his paperwork down. He reaches for his tray of instruments and Nodoze slowly raises an eyebrow. “I am no expert, but aren’t you forgetting something, doctor?”

Dref sighs and lowers his glasses to rub at the bridge of his nose. “No. I am not forgetting a-anything. We will… We will talk about it at the... at the end.” 

He gathers his instruments and checks Nodoze’s reflexes, listens to his chest. “B-breathe in.” Nodoze does as instructed. “Breathe o-out.” Again, he does as instructed. Dref leans back and seems to nod to himself. “You said that you are- are still smoking. How often?”

Nodoze shrugs slightly. “Once, maybe twice a week.”

“Mmmmhm. Ok. Ok. That is-is good.” 

He checks Nodoze’s left shoulder, which had been dislocated several month earlier. “Any pain?”

“Sometimes it aches before a particularly bad storm.”

“Mmmmhm. And- and what do you do about it?”

“Ice it, as you suggested. Try not to strain it, however frustrating it is not to properly do my work.”

“I-I can understand that. But we have a-a good crew.”

Nodoze nods, and Dref comes around to sit in front of him. “Ok. Yes. Well... mhm... Well, now…” He takes off his glasses and cleans them on his shirt. “About-about your… s-sleeping habits…” As he replaces his glasses he does not look up at Nodoze. A silence stretches between them until Dref clears his throat slightly. “How have you been, um, sleeping?”

“I have been sleeping.”

“Ok- ok. But… how much? How well?”

Nodoze fixes Dref with his faraway stare. “A few hours a night. And…” He shrugs. “I sleep. I do not know how to explain how well.”

Dref meets his gaze and holds it for a moment, which makes Nodoze frown slightly. The doctor rarely makes eye-contact with him - most of the crew rarely makes eye-contact with him. Let alone holds it.

“I, um... I would like to ask to... to perform a-a study.” Dref quickly gathers up his tools and walks over to a wash basin near his desk. “A-a sleep study.” When Nodoze doesn’t answer, Dref keeps talking while he rinses his instruments. “I would like to, um, to observe you. A-and how you sleep. H-how long. How well.” He glances over at the examination table. “I will… I will be honest. I want to-to help you. And I am s-scientifically curious.” 

Nodoze nods slowly and eases himself off the examination table. 

“You don’t have to- to decide now,” Dref rushes. “Think about it?

He nods again and pulls on his shirt. “Thank you for your time, doctor.”

“A-anytime.” Dref’s voice is quiet as he turns back to his cleaning. Nodoze can hear him talking quietly to himself but he doesn’t intrude. He leaves in silence, making sure to close the door firmly behind him. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with this in the background, if you're into that sort of thing  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqY2OiuErYI

Nodoze and Gable sit at the helm, him at the base of the wheel and Gable perched on the bannister, their feet planted firmly beside him. 

“Are you going to do it?” Gable passes down a length of rope, which Nodoze gratefully accepts.

“Maybe.” He takes a pull, and blows a couple smoke rings.

“It couldn’t hurt.”

“No.” He pulls another before handing it back.

“Do you know what he’s going to have you do?”

“No.” He rubs at the coarse stubble on his face. “He asked. The check-up was over. I left.”

“You should at least ask what the study would involve.”

“Maybe.” He leans his head back against the solid wood. Listens to the sound of the wind in the sail. The creak of the deck under Gable’s feet. The occasional voices that drift up from the crew. The lingering smell of smoke is a comfort, and he feels his muscles relax. His hands rest loosely in his lap. The flickering of a lantern draws his eye and he watches the colours spark and dance, slowly transitioning... 

Then there’s a weight across his lap and he blinks to focus, sits up straight and looks around. Gable is still there, but sitting diagonal from him. Their jacket is spread across his lap.

“I didn’t mean to wake you. But you looked cold.” They’ve put out the rope and coiled it away.

“How long was I… unaware?”

Gable shrugs a shoulder. “Hour or so?” They meet his gaze. “Do you often fall asleep outside?”

He’s quiet, and shakes his head.

“Do you know you sleep with your eyes open?”

“I have been told.”

“It’s kinda creepy.”

Nodoze quirks a smile. “Mhm. Why do you think I do it?”

“Too much effort to close and open your eyes?” Gable’s smiling, too.

“Yes. That’s the reason.” He takes off their jacket and hands it to them as he gets up. “Do you think Dref is still awake?”

“Probably.” Gable takes their jacket with a shrug. “Most nights I can see a light under his door. So either he sleeps with the lanterns lit or…”

“I’ll be quiet.”

“Don’t scare the poor man.”

He laughs a little. “Too late.” 

Gable bids him goodnight as he makes his way downstairs to Dref’s office. As Gable had said, there’s light coming from under the door. He knocks, just loud enough to disturb someone who’s awake. He actually doesn’t want to scare the doctor. 

The door cracks open and Dref peers out, his eyes bleary behind his glasses. “N-Nodoze. Is-is everything alright?”

“Yes.” He clears his throat. “I wanted to ask you about the study. But if you were sleeping, I-”

“Oh, oh no. No that's- that’s ok. Please come in.” He opens the door wider and Nodoze steps inside. There’s a lantern lit on the desk, illuminating a slew of papers. The rest of the room - its examination table, the tray of tools - looks the same as earlier. There’s nothing to suggest bedding or a hammock or any other sleeping paraphernalia.

“So you wanted to- to talk about the study?” Dref stands beside his desk, eyes now alert, his hands fidgeting with themselves. 

“Yes. I ah… realized, I hadn’t given you the opportunity to explain yourself earlier.”

“That’s ok. I can… I can understand that it’s an o-odd request.”

Nodoze sits on the edge of the examination table and leans his elbows on his knees. Dref seems to take this cue and pulls his chair over, positioning it where it had been hours earlier. He cleans his glasses.

“I will have a-a few questions. A-and then all you will need, mm, need to do is sleep. In here. A-and I will… I will observe.”

Nodoze looks around the office again. “Excuse me, doctor, but where would I be sleeping?”

“Wherever you want.” Dref adjusts and readjusts his glasses. “I-I do not know how you usually sleep. S-so…”

“What is easiest for you?” 

Dref doesn’t reply for several moments. Nodoze tries to catch his eye but the doctor is staring somewhere near Nodoze’s knee. “Mm, well, um maybe on the-the table? Would be best,” he eventually says, quietly. “I-I could see better than say a-a hammock. I-I have-” He takes a breath and manages to look up at Nodoze. “-I have blankets-” 

“I will bring mine. And a mat, if that is alright.”

“O-of course! I-I want you to be comfortable.” He nods and glances outside. “Would... would… you be able to come in not tomorrow but, um, the night after?”

“Yes.”

“O-ok.” He nods again and looks back to Nodoze. “Then if yo will excuse, um, excuse me, I-I have some work to start.”

Nodoze lowers himself from the table as Dref collects his chair and returns it to the desk. He’s mostly out of the office when Dref calls him.

“Do you o-often sleep around… around others?”

Nodoze pauses, then glances over his shoulder. “Rarely." 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An uneventful night.

Nodoze arrives at Dref’s office just after sundown. He has barely knocked when the door opens.

“H-hello,” Dref greets, quickly stepping aside.

“I hope now is a good time?” Nodoze steps into the room and takes a look around. It looks exactly the same as two days ago. Perhaps some paper stacks are taller or shorter, or on a different spot on Dref’s desk. But otherwise exactly the same.

“Of course.” Nodoze catches the doctor glancing out the door, where the light from the lanterns on deck spill down the stairs. When the door shuts, Nodoze looks away. He walks over to the examination table.

“Good day?” Dref inquires.

“Yes.” Under his arm is a blanket and a thin sleeping mat, which he unfurls on the table.

“Mhm…” Nodoze hears the wooden floor shift under Dref’s feet. He sets the blanket down at the end of the table and turns around.

“You said you had some questions first?” he asks, trying to keep his tone light. 

“O-oh. Yes. Yes.” The doctor goes to his desk and pulls out a drawer. Nodoze can hear the rustling of paper before Dref stands up with what Nodoze can only assume to be his file. 

He brings over his chair and sits himself down in the same spot from the other day. Nodoze takes the hint and sits on the edge of the padded table.

“How often do you, mm, sleep,” Dref asks, adjusting his glasses. “At night? Do... do you nap?”

“Once a day, I believe? Mostly during the night. Rarely during the day.” He pauses. “I guess I… nap… when I am unwell.”

“Mhm... That’s normal.” Dref scratches some notes on his paper. “How long do you... do you sleep for?”

“I don’t know.”

“Through the night?”

“I'm usually awake before dawn.”

“Well, when do you go to sleep?”

Nodoze is quiet. Dref looks up. 

“I don’t know.”

Dref frowns slightly. “You don’t know?” He sets his papers down on his lap, but covers them before Nodoze can try and read the scrawl. “Tell- tell me. What is your, mm, ‘bedtime’-” He actively makes quotation marks. “-routine?”

Nodoze stares at the doctor and Dref stares back, then he starts gesturing with his hands. “You mean to-to imply that you do _not_ have a, mm, bedtime routine?”

“Well…” Nodozes starts, and Dref sits up a little straighter. “I don’t usually start to…” He pauses. “Wind down? Until late...r.” He’s quiet again, and Dref makes a quick note. Nodoze sighs. “After dark. After dinner. Depending on the season. I find a quiet area of the ship. Sleeping in the quarters is too…” He drums his fingers on his knees. “There are too many people. And I already have to spend all day with most of them. So I find a quiet section of the ship, sometimes above decks, sometimes below, and roll out my mat.” 

He gestures to the one he’s sitting on. It’s old and patched in a few places, but still usable and soft.

“Blanket or two depending on the weather.” He pauses. “Sometimes I’ll snag a hammock if one is empty and I can hang it up out of the way. But... Late. When everyone else is asleep and the ship is relatively quiet I can have some peace. Some alone time.” 

Dref raises an eyebrow, his quill posed over the paper. Nodoze shrugs a shoulder and looks off. “Take that as you will, doctor.”

“Do you-” But Dref cuts himself off, shaking his head. “Please, continue. You do not rest until-until late. When it can be, mm, quiet. Mat. Blankets. A-alone time.” 

Nodoze shrugs again. “And then I guess I… sleep. Eventually. One minute I am aware, and the next I am aware that time has passed and I was not active. Though I am often uncertain of how long. Only that it will usually be daybreak soon.”

“So-so you don’t have any physical sensations?”

The two stare at each other.

“Heavy eyes? Yawning? Feeling sleepy- err- tired?”

“I understand when my body needs to rest. I do not know if that is the same as your feeling of tired. I can feel physically tired, after a very physical day or a battle...” He looks around the room, at the instruments on the tray and the bottles in the locked cupboard. “Your body needs sleep to function properly, yes?”

“Yes…”

“Then I guess my… bedtime routine... is based on a functional need to rest. So I do not feel-” He quirks a bit of a smile, even as he isn’t looking at the doctor. “- _sleepy_ , necessarily. But my body understands it needs the rest.” 

“So- so it is a more, mm… natural r-routine? Like… eating, o-or-”

“I know that some people get excited to sleep. That during the day sometimes they talk about how they are looking forward to going to bed. I do not feel the same way. Sleeping is something I do because I need to, not because I think about doing it.”

Dref makes some more notes on his paper, nodding. “Ok, ok. And… and you said that you sometimes sleep during the... during the day?”

Nodoze shakes his head slightly. “Very rarely. Maybe if something had happened the night before, or we got into some trouble. I would rather wait until the next night than sleep during the day.”

“So you will pull an all- an all-nighter, if n-necessary?”

He nods, and the doctor makes some notes. Underlines something. He glances up from under his glasses.

“Should I ask how-how many all-nighters you pull a-a week?”

“It depends on the season we find ourselves in. If it’s winter or fall, there is still work to be done even though it gets dark sooner. Also, as I said, I sleep because my body needs the rest. And sometimes I do not need the rest.”

Dref stares at him for longer than usual, then ducks his head and writes for a moment. “Mhm... Do you snore?”

“No. But I occasionally sleep with my eyes open.”

Dref goes to write, then pauses, continues with his thought and then looks up. “Thank you for telling me that now.”

“Wouldn’t want to scare you.” His brief smile is met by Dref quickly averting his gaze.

“Wwell, I… I should let you get some rest. I have finished my, mm, my questions for now.” He stands and holds the file close to his chest. His other hand rests on the back of the chair. “Can I... can I get you anything?”

Nodoze shakes his head and picks up the blanket from beside him. 

“Lanterns off?”

“Why would you want to sit in the dark?”

“I-I would light a small candle-”

“Wasn’t this night for observation?”

Nodoze looks over as he swings his legs up onto the examination table. Dref taps his fingers against the back of the wooden chair and nods. “You are c-correct. A-and perhaps this might be the... the first night?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Observation tonight. You sleeping as normally as you can. And... and then one more night. Where I could... where I could help you? Perhaps offer some… assistance, with getting better, mm, better rest based on what I see tonight.”

Nodoze lies down and drapes the blanket over his lower body. “Maybe.”

“That’s not a no.” Dref laughs a little and Nodoze watches him out of the corner of his eye. He brings the chair back to his desk and then despite their conversation he goes and turns off one of the lanterns in the corner. The main light in the room comes from a lantern on the doctor’s desk. There's small candle near the washbasin. 

Turning his head away from Dref’s desk, Nodoze watches the light catch in the small mirror set above the basin. He can see part of Dref in it, hunched over his desk, chewing his lower lip. His quill moves across paper, but it’s a faint sound in the otherwise quiet office. Dref seems to be trying to make as little noise as possible.

“There’s no silence on a skyship.”He watches Dref jump slightly in his chair, and they catch eyes in the mirror. The doctor nods slightly and lowers his gaze. When he resumes writing, the scratch of nib on paper is finally sound in the room. Repetitive, aside from the light clink when Dref occasionally refills from the inkwell. There’s a creak of wood from up on deck. A distant bird call. And the stritch… stritch… stritch… of quill on paper.

And then the candle by the basin is burnt nearly halfway, and Nodoze is aware of the faint light of dawn coming in the window.


End file.
